Entwined
by Dragon Princess Isis
Summary: They have captured Seifer and Quistis is confused. What she will do influences everything in their lifes. Seiftis oneshot


Disclaimer: I don't own ff8 or the song entwined by lacuna coil

**Entwined**  


_And you take me over, over again  
And you take me over, over again_

She lay there, staring at the ceiling of her room. The sun had set a long time ago but she was wide awake. Nothing that she did could take her mind off of it. She tried to read a book, watch a movie, go for a walk, spend her evenings with friends, exercise and sleep. But it's been a week since she's gotten a good night's sleep. It's been a week since it's been on her mind. A week… Since he came back. She hadn't really given him much thought until then. He used to be a problem student, trying to get on her nerves as often as he could, but she didn't care. Back then her mind was elsewhere. But after the war, everything changed. Rinoa and Squall got married and she was left alone with her broken heart that she had been trying to mend since she had lost her teaching license. In time she succeeded and she moved on with her life. A year passed by and then it happened. They had found and imprisoned him. Everyone hated him and she thought she did too. But every night she lay awake, thinking of him. She tried to talk to someone, but they were too busy arranging his trial or cursing him for what he had done to them and the world. So she just lay there, wide awake, confused with everything going on in her mind.  
'_Do I really hate him?_', she wondered. '_Did he really do it out of his own free will? Or was he manipulated like he says he was? Is he lying? Or is he telling the truth? Why didn't I pay more attention to him when I was still instructing him? Is it my fault that he became her knight? Why do I care all of a sudden? I should hate him, right?_'

The next day she got out of bed. Her eyes heavy from the restless night. She made herself decent and headed for the cafeteria to join her friends for breakfast.  
"Hi, Quistis!" Rinoa said. "You're a mess today, did you get any sleep at all?"  
"Not really…" she replied.  
"Want to tell me what's wrong?"  
Quistis looked at Squall, who was still checking if everything was in order for the trial and said: "Not really…"  
"You're as talk active as Squall used to be when I first met him. And actually sorta still is. You want to go for a walk with me? Maybe you feel like telling me when we're alone."  
"I doubt it…" she looked at Rinoa. '_But it might be nice to be able to talk to someone about it_,' she thought.  
"Come on, let's take a walk around the garden." She took Quistis by her arm and pulled her out of her seat and dragged her out of the cafeteria. Squall didn't even notice.

Rinoa remained cheerful as the were walking toward the quad. When they arrived, she sat down on the stage that still wasn't removed. The place was empty.  
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"  
"Of course I do" '_But what if I don't want to?_' she thought.  
"I know something's bothering you, Quistis. Is it the trial?"  
Quistis suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wide open, staring at the other girl.  
"I knew it!" Rinoa exclaimed.  
"You don't know anything." She began to get frustrated.  
"That's why you should tell me. It's not good to keep it all to yourself, not if it's keeping you up at night."  
Quistis sighed. "Maybe… but I can't. You wouldn't understand." And she stood up to walk back to her room. Rinoa coming after her, bothering her all the way to the dorms while she was asking her to talk about it. Quistis slammed the door, shutting out the irritating voice. She walked over to her bed and let herself fall onto it. A tear rolled down her face but she couldn't tell why.

When she woke up it was already 4 o'clock. Quistis stood up, walked out of her room and headed for the training center. When she got there she decided that she was sick of all these confusing thoughts of Seifer and turned around. With a firm pace and an angry look on her face she entered the elevator. She used her SeeD pass to get access to the basement, where he was held. When she got out, the guards threw a strange look at her but let her pass. She saw him lying on his bed behind the bars of his cell. When he heard her footsteps come to a halt, he glanced at her.  
"Seifer." She said in her formal voice.  
"Instructor." He replied. An awkward silence fell. "So what brings you here?"  
She just stood there, looking at him with disgust written on her face. But her thoughts were still asking her if that was what she really felt for him.  
He started to lose his temper. "If you're not planning on saying anything, Instructor, why even bother coming down here?"  
"I thought it would be nice for you to see a familiar face, or to see anyone for that matter."  
"I'm fine on my own."  
"I see that. Captured by the SeeD's an awaiting your trial. You have many lonely days ahead of you." Quistis mouth formed a little smile and her eyes showed a glimmer of the pleasure of teasing. "Are you sure you still don't want my company?"  
"Are you flirting with me, Instructor?" Seifer smirked.  
Quistis expression didn't change a bit as she said: "I think you have been alone for too long. You're getting delusions."  
"I'm sane enough." Again that smirk.  
Quistis moved closer. Seifer sat up straight, looking at her, daring her to take another step so that she would practically stand against the bars of the cell. But she didn't. He stood up and walked towards her.  
"I've been alone for too long to be joking about anything." His voice was firm with an angry undertone.  
"If you say so." Quistis looked serious again.  
"So what brings you here, Instructor?"  
Quistis let out a sigh. "The trial isn't far away anymore… And I was just curious about what really happened during the war." For the first time her voice sounded insecure. Seifer noticed.  
"I've told it to everyone else who came down here to interview me. They didn't believe me. Why should you?"  
"Because I'm not everyone else." She had regained her confidence.  
"It's very simple actually. Something took over me, it controlled me… My body, my voice… The only thing I could do was think. I couldn't stop myself from doing the things I did, or from saying the things I said. I wasn't myself. Only in my thoughts I could oppose the force that was using me, but it didn't help. Until after the war… And then… You know… Because of what happened during it, everyone hated me. So I did the only thing I could do. I ran away. I ran away from the people I knew, the people I fought, the people I hurt. I ran away from the world. But after a year I got careless and they found me. And now I am here, telling you what I've told everyone else and you probably don't even believe me." He turned his back towards her as to hide the things he felt. She knew he was on the edge of crying and felt sorry for him. Somehow it was strange to think of Seifer having feelings at all, but he was still a human being. And human beings feel.  
She couldn't say anything. Not after what he had said. And Seifer watched her leave. He saw her walking towards the guards. But then all of a sudden her whip appeared and the guards lay unconscious on the floor. She took the keys and ran back to his cell. Neither of them saying a word, she opened it. He was standing in front of her, their eyes gazing at each other. Seifer wondered why she had done that and so did she. Suddenly he forcefully took her arm and threw her in the cell.  
"I don't know why you did it, but it was a stupid move of you, Quistis." He locked her up and ran off. And all she could do was sitting there on the floor, stunned by what he had just said.

_I wonder how can I go on and on  
When you want to bury my passion  
You are the shell around  
And I cannot escape  
And I swallow my pride_

She lay there on the bed where he had slept just a few days ago. Squall was standing on the other side of the bars.  
"Why?" was all he said, no emotions.  
Quistis remained silent. '_He's just like a machine. I'm not sure if he's even feeling anything. The way he's standing there, looking down on me, it's like I'm a stranger to him. Maybe I am… I don't even know myself anymore. Why did I do it?_'  
Again he asked: "Why?"  
The same thing he had asked her every previous day. But she had never said a word. Not to him, not to anyone else. How could she? She didn't even know herself.  
Quistis was staring at the ceiling when she heard his footsteps fade.  
Time passed by, she didn't know how much, but suddenly Rinoa stood in front of her cell.  
"Everything ok, Quistis?" she was looking concerned.  
"I'm locked up in here. Does that look like everything's fine?"  
"No…" She looked at the floor, not knowing what she had expected to hear.  
"Did he sent you?"  
"No, Quistis, I'm worried about you. It's not like you to do something like that. Was that why you wouldn't talk to me about the trial back then?"  
"No, I didn't know what to think about it and I didn't know what to do. I thought Seifer could help me get rid of the stupid thoughts inside my head. But all he did was get me more confused."  
"You don't hate Seifer?"  
"No…" she was surprised of her own answer but it was the truth.  
"I don't either. But it's hard to tell anyone if everyone does."  
"Why don't you hate him?" she had gotten curious.  
"If it weren't for him, I never would've met you guys. And the sorceress would probably still be alive and gotten her way. In a way, I guess he saved to world along with us…"  
Quistis had never thought about it like that but it made sense.  
"Want to tell me why you don't hate Seifer?" Rinoa asked.  
"He always tried to get on my nerves, being as annoying as hell. But I think that I somehow knew that deep down he was a nice guy. He just didn't want to show, he didn't want anyone to think he was weak…"  
"Is that why you helped him escape this place?"  
"I believed him. He said it wasn't him that helped the sorceress but something else. It was kind of confusing, but I believed him. He almost cried. Seifer never cried. He always was the tough guy. That's why…"  
Rinoa looked sad. "No one else will believe him but us. Squall would've never let him go. But maybe I can talk to him about letting you go. You're still his friend."  
"It didn't really look like that when he was here earlier."  
"You know he never shows anyone how he feels. He's just disappointed in you. He finally got Seifer in his hands and because of you… well, he got away again. But I'm sure he'll forgive you. You'll see." And she ran off.

"Get out." She suddenly heard. Her sleepy eyes not seeing where it came from. "Get up." She heard again. She sat up straight and saw Squall holding the cell door open.  
"Squall?"  
"Don't make me change my mind about this." He said.  
Quistis hurried up and walked out the door. She looked at him. "Squall, I'm sorry, it was never my intention to let him go."  
He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her as they were walking towards the elevator.  
"Squall?" her voice insecure again.  
"You are to pack your things and leave the Garden. As of now, you are no longer a SeeD."  
Quistis couldn't believe what she had just heard. "But, Squall… You can't do that…"  
"I can. I just did."  
"I thought we were friends…"  
"We were."  
"Why are you doing this?"  
"You let him escape. I have to set an example. Friend or not."  
The elevator opened and Squall walked out. She just stood there, staring after him, her eyes looking sad.

While she was packing, Rinoa appeared in the doorway.  
"Hey…" she said softly.  
"Hi, Rinoa."  
"I'm sorry, Quistis. I couldn't stop him, I tried but he wouldn't listen. I've never seen him like that before."  
"It's ok, Rinoa. I know you did all you could do. Thanks."  
"I should've done more…"  
"There wasn't anything else you could do."  
"So… Where are you going now?"  
"I'm not sure yet… I was thinking of going to Trabia Garden to visit Selphie and Irvine, but then I thought that that's not one of my best ideas. I'll just go to the train station and take the first train I see."  
"Will you mail or write me when you arrive at wherever you end up?"  
"Yes, I will do that."  
"Be careful, Quistis."  
"I will. Goodbye, Rinoa."  
"Bye, Quistis." The soft and sad tone of her voice kept hanging in the room after she had left. Quistis packed the last of her things and left her dorm room, giving it one last sad glance before she left the place she had called home.

She got out of the train and looked around. The sun was shining brightly and she could hear the ocean. She had taken train after train for the past few weeks, never satisfied with the places she ended up in. The first train headed for Trabia. She had stayed a couple of days, doubting if she should visit her friends. But in the end she turned away, knowing they were not her friends anymore. She was alone. The only one she could still call her friend was Rinoa, but Quistis knew she wouldn't be able to see her as long as she resided in Balamb Garden. She ended up in Deling City, but found it too crowded. She had visited Esthar for a while but became restless because she didn't find anything to do there. She went to Dollet, but still wasn't satisfied. She didn't belong there. She didn't know if she even belonged anywhere. She visited Timber and people there were friendly. But they bothered her too much when all she wanted was to be left alone. So she had said goodbye and left. And now she was here. Fishermans Horizon. She wasn't sure, but somehow she felt as if this was the place she should've gone to from the start. She walked around the town, her suitcase still in her hand. She ended up at the docks. No one else was there so she put down her suitcase and sat down, staring into the distance. She heard footsteps behind her and someone walked by. The fisherman wore jeans trousers but no shirt. Brown hair was coming out from under his cap and he had a short brown beard. But she could've recognized that walk anytime.  
"Seifer…" she whispered. He didn't hear.  
She saw him sit down and throw out the rod he had with him. An hour went by without the fish biting. She watched him losing his patience and finally he stood up. He walked in her direction but when he saw her, he stopped. His green eyes looking surprised. He continued walking and sat down next to her.  
"I read in the newspaper that they banned you from the Garden, but I never expected to see you here." He said, looking at the ocean.  
She didn't know what to say to him. "I think I expected to find you here…"  
"You did?" It was like he knew that she was going to say that.  
"This was the only place that felt right." She saw the sky turning pink.  
"I know the feeling." It was strange to hear him talk so freely without his witty remarks.  
"I should go. I haven't found a place to spend the night yet." She got up. Seifer kept looking at the horizon.  
"Don't worry about that, Quistis. Stay and watch the sun set." Again it felt strange to hear him talk like that and using her name but she stayed and sat down next to him.  
When the sun had disappeared he finally spoke again. "Thanks for helping me out."  
"Leaving me there was thanks enough." The thought of that angered her a bit.  
"You surprised me. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't think I'd ever see you again either."  
"Me neither. I thought I'd be the one on trial and spending my life in prison."  
"Why did you help me, Quistis?"  
"I believed you. I believe in you. No matter what everyone else says, you're a good person, Seifer."  
"You make it sound like you like me, Instructor." He smirked.  
"Glad to see you can still joke around like that." She smiled teasingly. "All I can say is that I don't hate you."  
"That's nice to hear." He suddenly had a sad look on his face. "Come on, let's go. You must be tired of all that traveling you did." He stood up, offered her his hand and helped her up. She reached for her suitcase. "Let me." And he took it before she could. She was surprised by how nice he could be when he didn't have to act tough. Seifer offered her his arm and together they walked towards his apartment.

_Entwined together now  
It's time to pass it over  
(And you take me over, over again)  
Entwined together now  
(And you take me over, over again)  
Entwined forever_

When she woke up, she didn't recognize the place. Quistis had been in so many places in the past weeks. She looked around and remembered what happened yesterday. Seifer had led her to his place and she had slept in his bed while he took the couch. She took her short silk bathrobe out of her suitcase and put it on. After grabbing her soap, shampoo, comb, toothbrush and –paste, she walked out of the bedroom. She noticed that the table had been set and the lovely smell of fresh croissants reached her. No sign of Seifer. Quistis headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower but when she opened the door she saw him standing in front of the mirror, wearing only a towel. Her face quickly turned red when he looked at her and she hastily shut the door. Face still red, she sat down at the table, crossed her legs and took a croissant. When he came out of the bathroom, he wore the jeans trousers again. Seifer took the seat opposite of her and started eating breakfast. She didn't dare to look up.  
"Good morning." He said.  
"Good morning, Seifer."  
"You always walk into bathrooms like that?" he smirked.  
"Yes, I do." She smiled.  
"A lovely way to start the day." He laughed out loud and she just smiled.  
"Since you're not occupying the bathroom anymore, I'm going to take a quick shower." She got up from the chair.  
"Sure thing."  
Quistis took her stuff and walked towards the bathroom, not aware that he was watching her move the way she always did. The only difference was that now he could see her legs. And he liked what he saw.

He was watching television by the time she left the bathroom.  
"Took you long enough." He said as she was walking to the bedroom to put on her clothes.  
When she was done, Quistis joined him on the couch.  
"Did you get a good night's sleep here on the sofa?"  
"Not as good as I would've gotten in my own bed, but it can pass. Did you sleep well?"  
"For the first time in weeks, I did." She smiled at him and he smiled back. It was nice to see him smile.  
"Glad to hear that. Say… What I wanted to talk to you about…"  
"Yes, Seifer?"  
"If you're planning on staying here long, it's gonna give a bit of a problem…"  
"I was thinking the same thing actually. It's hard when people know you as one of the SeeDs that saved the world and afterwards let you escape."  
"You have to change your appearance. And if possible your name too. Any preferences?"  
"Not really…"  
"I'll bring some things back from the store today and arrange your new ID."  
"Thanks…"  
"It's best if you don't go outside for now. The newspaper is on the counter, the computer is over there. You probably want to look for a job, 'cause I'm not paying for everything on my own. See you tonight, Quistis."  
"See you tonight." And he walked out the door.

It was 06.30 when he came back and Quistis was preparing dinner. Seifer could hardly believe that she was doing that and was thinking all sorts of inappropriate thoughts. He cursed himself for that and got himself together, putting down the bags of the stores he had just visited.  
"How was your day?" she asked him.  
"Fine… What are you doing?"  
"I'm making dinner."  
"Why?"  
"Because there was nothing else to do around here anymore. Sitting alone at home never was my favorite occupation."  
"So I see… Everything's so… clean…"  
"I know." She smiled at him. "Dinner's almost ready."  
"What are you making?"  
"Pasta. You may want to put lot's of water on the table, because the sauce is very spicy."  
He didn't say anything, but was wondering if she knew that that was his favorite meal.  
They sat down at the table and ate their evening meal.  
"I've bought you some things like hair dye, contacts, make-up, nail polish and new clothes. I've also gotten you some new shoes, but I wasn't certain on the size."  
"Wow, you really went all out. I'll look at it after dinner." She smiled sweetly at him. He didn't know what to think. Since she had arrived here he acted very different than before. It was like they were playing a couple that had just moved in with each other.

They did the dishes together before she went through the bags.  
"Black hair dye… Black boots…" she tried on the boots. "They fit, it's not really my style, but since you bought them for me…"  
"It's not supposed to be your style when you're taking on another identity."  
"True, but these clothes… I think I will be very uncomfortable in these."  
"Why's that?" he smirked, because he knew the answer what was coming.  
"The skirts are so short, and the cleavage of these shirts and blouses… It's way too revealing."  
"You probably want to try them on and get used to it before you have to wear them outside of this apartment." He grinned. She threw a pillow at his head.  
"I'm going to dye my hair now."  
"Have fun!"

Seifer watched her walking out of the bathroom. Her hair was black and still wet from the shower. Drops of water were dripping from it onto her body. She was wearing an outfit that he had just bought for her. A short black skirt and a blouse that didn't really cover much up. His face flushed red as he drew a pillow over him so she wouldn't see how much he liked the way she looked. Lucky for him she hadn't noticed. She was too busy complaining over how trashy she looked now.  
"You look fine, Quistis."  
"You think?"  
"Otherwise I wouldn't have bought you those clothes."  
She didn't know what to say to that.  
"Tomorrow you'll have to go and get you picture taken for your ID and then everything is in order."  
"What name did you pick for me?"  
"Samantha Matthews."  
"That's not that bad." She replied. "Actually, what is your name?"  
"Tristan Ford."  
She started laughing. "Tristan…" She kept on laughing. "What a name for a fisherman!" She had to watch out that she didn't fall off the couch while she slowly stopped laughing, wiping the tears out of her eyes.  
"I don't see what's so funny." He didn't like being laughed at and stubbornly watched television without saying another word all evening.

After the movie was done she started talking. "It's probably best if we act like a couple when we're together outside…"  
"Probably…" He was still upset about earlier.  
"Like when we go shopping or to a movie or something…"  
Seifer didn't say a word.  
"What kind of work do you do during the day?"  
"I work in the building sector."  
She waited for some sort of explanation but when it didn't come, she asked:" What exactly do you mean by that?"  
"We build houses and stuff." He didn't feel like talking to her right now.  
She thought of him working, wearing his jeans, his naked chest all sweaty. Luckily it was too dark to see that her face turned red, not that he even looked in her direction. She sighed and made herself comfortable while the second movie began. It didn't take long before she fell asleep.

When Seifer woke up, the movie was done and he saw that she was still sleeping. Quistis was lying against him. 'Great view!' he thought and shook his head to get rid of that thought. He slowly got up, trying not to wake her. Then he carefully took her in his arms and carried her to bed. Another night on the couch for him.

She was standing behind the counter of the clothing shop.  
"Thank you, have a nice day." She said when the customer had paid and was walking out of the shop.  
Quistis had been working there for two months now. It was a boring job, not as exciting as being a SeeD, but it paid the bill. She was thinking about how her life has been since she had arrived here at Fishermans Horizon. There had been many awkward moments between her and Seifer. She had often caught him staring at her legs or her breasts. And when they went shopping together, he always doubtfully took her hand in his, or he put his arm around her. Quistis knew that it was best to act like a couple, but it stayed weird. All of a sudden her thoughts were broken by a man who quickly walked into the store. His hair was black and where you expected to see a beard, there was none. He carried two suitcases with him.  
"We have to go now!" Seifer whispered to her.  
"Why? What's wrong?" she asked while grabbing her coat.  
They were walking out of the store towards the train station. "They found me."  
"That's impossible!" Quistis couldn't believe it. "How?"  
"I don't know but when I got to work someone was there, asking about me. I don't know if he saw me, but I went back home to pack our things."

They arrived at the station and got on the train to Deling City.  
Once the train was moving, she stared out of the window while he was doing something with his laptop and his ID.  
"I'll probably have to change mine too?"  
"I don't really think that's necessary. They probably don't recognize you like that anyway."  
She got up and went through her suitcase and finally found her scissors. She combed some of her hair in front of her eyes and cut it so that she had a pony. Quistis opened the small window and got rid of the hair she held in her hands. Seifer stared at her. In those two months her hair had grown a lot. He noticed that it reached to just above her ass. 'And what a nice ass that is,' he thought. The new haircut was an improvement on how beautiful she already was. He had caught himself thinking such things too often lately. He couldn't help it. Maybe things would've been different if he hadn't bought her such daring clothes. It had been a joke when he had gotten home with them that day, thinking that she would buy something else the day after. But she didn't. On the contrary, she bought more of them.

It was noon when they arrived in Deling. Seifer left Quistis behind with their stuff as he went to search for a place to live.  
"Deling is a big city. They'll have a hard time finding us there." He had said on the train. He was probably right but she couldn't shake the feeling that their life from here on would be a gypsy life. 'They will find us again and again. And we will have to keep moving from place to place.' Was what Quistis thought.

_I wonder  
How can I live on and on  
When you want to live in a hurry  
You are the wall  
That I,  
That I have to remove  
And I swallow,  
I swallow my pride_

'_When did I decide to stay with him? I didn't have to. I could've just left any time I wanted to. Why didn't I? Because that meant being alone again… for the both of us. Even if we never were friends and the awkward moments are still there, everything's better than being alone._'  
"Are you ready?" Seifer asked.  
"Yes, I am."  
They left the Dollet motel and headed for a small dark underground café for their freelance jobs that evening. Seifer had to make the drinks and Quistis had to bring them around.  
When he saw her in that waitress outfit, again he couldn't help himself from having inappropriate thoughts. 'It's been too long since I've last been with a woman,' he reasoned.

After a long night working they finally walked into their room. It was a cheap motel room so there only was one bed and a small black & white TV that didn't work properly. They also had a small bathroom which Quistis had properly cleaned for hours before using it the day before.  
"I'm dead tired!" Seifer exclaimed and lay down on the bed.  
"Me too…" Her eyes practically falling shut, she sat down next to him.  
"It'd be nice to sleep in a bed once in a while instead of on the couch or the floor." He didn't look at her.  
"I can imagine…" She looked at the wall, her face slightly red by the thought of sharing the bed. "If you want to you can…" she started.  
"I was just thinking out loud. I would never let a girl sleep on the floor."  
"I wasn't saying that I would sleep on the floor…" Her face even more red than before.  
"Oh…" He looked at her to see if she was serious. She was.  
"You have been sleeping on couches and floors for so long now… You probably forgot what a bed even feels like." That teasing smile on her face again. He liked it. It made him want to… He tried to shake the thought out of his head but it didn't go away. The urge of kissing those soft lips of her remained.  
Quistis stood up and went to the bathroom to change. When she came out she was wearing a long T-shirt and she lay down next to him under the blankets. She knew he always slept in his boxers. She should've gotten used to the image by now but still every time she saw him like that she blushed and turned her head away. She did the same when she noticed him staring at the edge of the T-shirt she always wore to sleep.  
She had turned her back towards him, feeling uncomfortable lying in the same bed as him. Quistis could feel his eyes on her and wondered what he was thinking. She was vaguely aware that her T-shirt had crawled up to her waist, so that if she wasn't lying under the blankets he would be able to see her thong. She heard him move. He startled her when his fingertips touched her hip. She didn't move and didn't say a word. She just kept staring in front of her. He moved closer. She could feel his chest against her back and was glad he couldn't see her blush. And still she didn't do or say a thing. When he noticed she didn't object, he put his arm around her and pulled her closer against him.  
"I've watched you sleeping during the night. And every time I wished that I could lay there next to you and hold you in my arms. You're so beautiful. You're everything a guy could ever want. The way you walk is hypnotizing and the way you dress is tempting me. You're daring me and teasing me. And something inside me always held back because it couldn't be. But you've stayed with me for so long already. You stayed with me those months in Fishermans Horizon. And you stayed with me all this time when I had to run away. You stayed with me when you could've left, you could've led a normal life without me, but you chose to stay. You don't know how much that means to me, Quistis. Thank you." He whispered in her ear and then softly planted a kiss in her neck, holding her close. How he had missed this feeling of comfort.  
The words he had spoken touched her deep inside her heart and she lay her hand on his, as to say that everything was going to be alright. But she knew it wasn't. How could it? When they had to keep running. Someday they would find them and they would not be able to escape. But for now, this was all she had ever dreamed of. And she fell asleep in his arms.

When she woke up he was gone. She looked around and saw his stuff was still there. Quistis got up and headed for the bathroom. It was empty. 'Maybe he's out to get us breakfast,' she thought. So she took a nice warm bath and made herself look extra beautiful today. She felt great. When an hour had past and he still didn't get back, Quistis was getting worried. She took her coat and went out to look for him. She walked all around Dollet but didn't get a glimpse of him, so she finally returned to the motel to see if he had gotten back in the meanwhile. He wasn't there. She began to get frustrated and went back out. She wandered around the town again. Suddenly she spotted two SeeDs walking towards the inn. It was like her heart stopped beating. 'They have him!' was the only thing she could think. She went inside the inn and looked around. She didn't see any SeeDs.  
"Can I help you?" the lady behind the counter said.  
"Yes, a room, please."  
"That's 100 gil."  
"Here you go."  
"Thank you. You have room number 09. Here's the key."  
"Thanks." Quistis took the key and went up the stairs towards the room, in the meanwhile she was listening if she could hear if he was in one of the rooms she passed by. Her heart jumped when she heard his voice coming out of room 08.  
"I'm not telling you guys anything!" she heard him shout.  
"Where is your accomplice?" she heard the SeeD say.  
She realized he was protecting her. Quistis quickly opened the door to her room and got in. She locked it. 'What should I do? I can't just leave him like that. I can't…' she started crying. 'Now that I finally found where I belong, they're going to take it away from me…' Tears kept rolling down. 'I won't let them take you away! Not now! Not ever!' She got up, walked out of the room and knocked hard on door number 08. One of the SeeDs opened the door.  
"Yes?" he said. Quistis looked inside and saw Seifer had gotten a beating from the guy standing next to him. She saw him looking at her. His eyes sad and afraid, because now they had found her.  
"I… eh… I'm staying in the room next door. But… you're making so much noise here…"  
"We'll try to keep it down." He said while starting to close the door. She stopped him.  
"What are you doing to that poor man?" she said while walking towards him. She sank down beside Seifer and put her hands on his face.  
"What we're doing with him is our business. He's the Sorceress Knight Seifer Almasy. He doesn't deserve any better."  
"I thought the Sorceress Knight had short blond hair?" Quistis acted confused.  
"That can be easily changed. Now you have to leave here, miss. We're busy."  
"You can't just treat him like that! He's a human being!" She saw the two SeeD's exchanging a look and a nod. She didn't even have time to respond when one of them held her arms behind her back and the other one cuffed her. "What is the meaning of this? Let me go!"  
The first SeeD looked at Seifer and said to him: "Well, well, lapdog, looks like we finally caught your new mistress."  
"I've never seen her before." He replied.  
"We have reasons to believe otherwise." The second SeeD member said. "People have seen the two of you together a lot."  
"We will take the two of you back to Balamb Garden and let the Commander decide what'll happen to you." The first SeeD soldier said.

_Entwined together now  
It's time to pass it over  
Entwined together now  
Entwined forever_

"Why, Quistis?" Squall asked her. They were alone in his office.  
"Because I belong with him, Squall. This is what I've been searching for all of my life. The whole time I knew that something was missing. That void is filled now that I can be with him. Squall, please… Don't take that away from me…"  
He didn't say a thing. She could see he was processing what he had just heard. He pushed the intercom button and said: "Take her back."  
"Squall, please…" The guards came in, pulled her out of her seat and dragged her out of the office. All he did was watch after her, without any emotion written on his face.

The cell door opened and they threw her inside and she landed on the floor. He rushed towards her.  
"Are you all right?" he asked.  
"I'm fine…" she smiled at him. '_At least they put us together…_'  
"What happened?"  
"They took me to see Squall."  
His expression hardened. "What did he say?"  
"He just asked me why… That's the only thing I heard him say lately… And then he just sent me back. I can't get through to him…"  
"Everything will be all right, butterfly…" He had put his arms around her.  
"Butterfly?" she looked at him, her eyes confused.  
"Yes, butterfly." He smirked. "Or do you rather want me to call you cockroach?"  
She playfully hit him on the shoulder. He started to tickle her and she laughed out loud. He loved that sound. It was too bad that she didn't do that more often. But lately, there wasn't any reason to laugh. They had a trial ahead of them. He kept tickling her, she kept laughing and tried to tickle him back. She failed at that, but he was glad that the weight of what was to come had lightened. Even if it could only last for such a short time.

A sudden noise woke him. He carefully pulled his arm away from her sleeping body and sat up straight. He saw Rinoa opening the door.  
"I'll have to take her with me, Seifer…" The sound of regret didn't slip his hearing.  
"For how long?" He whispered, trying not to wake her.  
"I don't know for sure… There's a chance you might not see her again…" She kept looking at her feet. It was obvious that she didn't like what she had to do.  
"Why?"  
"We're doing our best to get the both of you out… But he just won't listen. He just ordered to let her out, but I think that's more to torture you than it is to help Quistis… I think the war has changed him… He's full of anger. He wants to see you hang, Seifer. No matter what the cost is. Even if it means losing his friends."  
"Will she be safe?" He looked down on the peaceful form beside him.  
"Edea and I will watch over her. We're doing the best we can to get you out too."  
"Just make sure nothing bad happens to her…"  
"I will, Seifer, I will…"  
"Hey, butterfly, wake up…" he whispered in her ear.  
"Huh…?"  
"Someone's here to see you."  
Quistis noticed Rinoa standing in the doorway and got up. The girl gave her a sad smile. Seifer had gotten up as well.  
"Will you please come with me?"  
Quistis looked at Seifer.  
"It's ok, butterfly." He smiled at her.  
She gave him a kiss before she followed her only friend. By the time he whispered "Goodbye, my love…" she was already getting into the elevator.

The days had gone by so slowly. She was alone again. The company of Rinoa and her Matron couldn't comfort her. They wouldn't let her see him. She cursed Squall for what he was doing to them. He was taking away her love, her happiness. Her life… Wherever she went, they were there, watching her, afraid that she might try to return to him. She would've if she had gotten the chance. They had tried to cheer her up, but she just couldn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. Not even about Selphie and Irvine returning from Trabia on Squall's request.

When she got up in the morning, Rinoa and Edea were there. When she went for breakfast, Selphie and Irvine were added to the group. When she went for lunch, Zell was there to complain about the hotdogs. They all tried so hard, but Quistis had given up on faking smiles. She couldn't get herself to care anymore. The only thing that mattered was taken away from her. She had cursed herself so many times for not noticing it before. For not noticing that he was the one that made her smile, that made her happy, that filled the void she had had for so long. She had cursed herself for not having realized that she could've had it all from when she first arrived at Fishermans Horizon. But those last days that she had spent with him, they were like heaven. And to the days before that, she looked back with a smile on her face. But to the days that were ahead, she looked at in fear. The fear of losing him was tearing her apart, but she couldn't do anything about it. Squall just wouldn't listen, not to her, not to Rinoa or his Matron, not to any of them… They all knew how she suffered under what was to come. They all tried so hard to convince Squall, to comfort her… It was all in vain. Her friends would remain, the one she had come to hate would remain, but the love of her life would disappear. And that last part, she couldn't handle. She couldn't handle being alone… Not again…

The past days he hadn't seen a soul, except for the guards who brought him his food. He had given up hope. He knew he wouldn't be saved. He wouldn't have that luck. The only thing he kept living for now is to see her again, to be able to catch a glimpse of her. He probably wouldn't see her again until the trial, but he would never be able to speak to her, to hold her in his arms, to caress her, to kiss her… How he yearned for those things. How he longed for her soft touch. But it would never be. He just lay there on his bed. He couldn't think of anything but her. He wouldn't eat because it wasn't the same. He could practically hear her say how stupid he was for that. He slowly sank into a deep sleep. He dreamt of her. She was there for him. He could feel her hands on his naked chest and he pulled her close to him, holding her. His hands touched the skin of her back and he caressed her. Filled with passion he kissed her, and she kissed him back. He heard her letting out a soft moan when he roughly pushed his body against her. Seifer could feel her nails scratching his back. She was driving him crazy. Suddenly he felt someone throwing him onto the floor but the dream kept lingering in his head. It was time for the trial.

In her dorm room, Quistis woke up. She could still feel the touch of his lips on hers. She could still feel his hands on her back and his body pressed against her. She looked on her alarm clock and saw that the trial was about to begin.

_And you take me over, over again  
And you take me over, over again  
And you take me over, over again  
And you take me over, over again_

The heads of the towns and the Gardens had found him guilty. They completely ignored the testimonies of her and her friends. They could only think of the damage to their towns and the money that Squall had put in their pockets. She was sure he had bribed them. He would do anything to get rid of Seifer. And now they were standing there. She saw him laying on the table behind the glass, the injections were ready. She heard Xu counting down and then she reached one. The look on Seifer's face made her feel even worse. He looked at her in sorrow, in love… and in fear. There were no words to describe how sad she felt. Quistis looked at Squall and saw a small smile on his face. Seeing that, pissed her off. She grabbed for the knife she had hidden on her body and yelled at him: "You don't have the right to take him away from me! I hate you, Squall, I hate you!" As the guards saw the knife in her hand, the jumped in front of their Commander, their weapons ready. But then she did something they never would've expected. With one last look on Seifer, she whispered: "Entwined forever…" and she slid the knife over her throat. The knife fell out of her hands, blood was everywhere, as her body hit the floor. There was screaming, crying and running all over the place, but Squall just stood there, noticing the smile on her face.

_  
Entwined together now  
It's time to pass it over  
(And you take me over, over again)  
Entwined together now  
(And you take me over, over again)  
Entwined forever  
_


End file.
